About me • Kesta Desmond 

MY BACKGROUND AND INTERESTS   I have a passion for psychology and mental health and started working in NHS mental healthcare in 2010. During that time I have trained and qualified as a mental health nurse, a cognitive behavioural therapist and an EMDR therapist (I am accredited in both CBT and EMDR). I have spent most of the last ten years working with adults with mood and anxiety problems, and I am very interested in helping people overcome trauma. Trauma can include a formal diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but smaller traumas can also drive other mental health problems such as depression, low-self esteem, panic, OCD, crippling worry, social anxiety, health anxiety and perfectionism. These smaller traumas can include misattuned, critical or neglectful parenting, discrimination, undermining or humiliating behaviour from others, to name just a few. Smaller or "micro-traumas" can stack up over time without us being aware of them, but the result is engrained self-critical beliefs and distressing emotions such as sadness, shame, guilt and anxiety. I am dedicated to finding out how past experiences might be affecting you in the present, and processing difficult material with you using EMDR. 

 

MY APPROACH   My way of working is friendly, collaborative and entirely non-judgemental. I feel very glad that my clients tell me that they feel supported and understood in our sessions. I work hard to get to know clients as individuals and to really understand the difficulties they are having. It is very important to me that clients have a good and positive experience of therapy. I also want clients to come out feeling better, have a new perspective and feel able to make meaningful changes in their lives. I love EMDR in that it taps into our innate wisdom and healing mechanisms - this is a central part of my work with clients. 

 

QUALIFICATIONS   EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner • Post-graduate diploma in cognitive behavioural therapy from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience • Post-graduate diploma in mental health nursing from King's College London • BSc Hons in Psychology from the University of Birmingham

 

MEMBERSHIP OF PROFESSIONAL BODIES  Accredited member of the EMDR Association • Accredited member of the BABCP (the lead organisation for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in the UK and Ireland) 

 

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT   I have worked at the Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma (CADAT) within South London and Maudsley NHS Trust. CADAT is a national centre of excellence for research and treatment into anxiety disorders and trauma • I have completed CBT supervision training at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience • I have completed the IAPT High Intensity National Curriculum for CBT in the context of long-term persistent and distressing health conditions